The theme of the 2017 High-level Political Forum on sustainable development will be “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”, which is also a central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the lead-up to the 2017 HLPF, weekly blogs by representatives of Member States, UN system, and major groups and other stakeholders will be featured in this series to present various perspectives on this theme. The role of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14, and 17 will also be highlighted, as these goals will be in focus at the 2017 HLPF discussions.

Week 1 - His Excellency Amb. Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, President of the Economic and Social Council

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His Excellency Amb. Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, President of the Economic and Social Council

2 March 2017

The theme of the 2017 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. Achieving this ambitious vision will require overcoming many challenges including economic and social inequalities, lack of economic opportunities, poor natural resource management, instability and armed conflicts, global humanitarian and human rights crises, and growing economic, social and environmental tensions, amongst others.

But we also have a unique and unprecedented opportunity to make this vision a reality once and for all. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the accompanying 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide the international community with a plan for addressing the root causes of poverty in a sustainable way. It is the first comprehensive and universal blueprint for all Member States by which we can achieve a better world that spans the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. While governments are in the driving seat of implementing the Agenda and the SDGs, the contribution of all sectors of society is necessary if we are to universally achieve the SDGs by the target year of 2030. Of vital importance will be to regularly hear from countries and other stakeholders about their experiences and lessons learned in implementing the SDGs. A key task of the HLPF, as the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, is to provide a forum for inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue and to facilitate peer-learning and exchange.

A key element of the follow-up and review mechanism of the 2030 Agenda is the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to be presented by Member States annually at the HLPF. These voluntary reviews are state-led, undertaken by both developed and developing countries, and provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other stakeholders, UN System representatives, parliamentarians, and others. The reviews aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. They also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the sustainable development goals.

I am very encouraged by the 44 countries that have volunteered to present their national reviews at the High-level Political Forum in 2017. This will be the second round of such reviews and I commend each and every one of these countries for their important contribution to advancing the 2030 Agenda through this engagement. They are: Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.

I invite you to follow this blog series on the 2017 High-Level Political Forum - Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world which will seek to offer different perspectives by various actors on the theme of the 2017 HLPF and on the following set of SDGs, which will be reviewed in depth during the session: